Together
by CapturetheFinnick
Summary: Just a few oneshots, each a year apart regarding Dan and Phil's life now that they have a child. Phan. Fluff. Don't read if you don't like family fics. Just an idea I had.
1. Chapter 1

**_Yeah just a quick idea I had_**

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I watch Dan as he cradles this little being in his arms. His skin perfectly white, not a flaw to be found. His tiny little fingers wrapped around Dan's as his big blue eyes stare up, endlessly fascinated by his new-found world. I move closer to Dan, wrapping my arm around his shoulder, dragging his eyes away from the baby as he turns to look at me, kissing me lightly on the lips before returning to the baby, a smile lighting up his face brighter than the stars themselves. He begins to hum as he rocks him in his big capable hands, protecting him from all harm, shielding him from the terrors of the world. He passes him to me, the blanket dragging across his knees slightly and I am filled with both a burning sensation of fear and love, I have no idea how I can love something that I've known for barely a week, but I do. Whenever I look into his eyes, my worries fly away and I am sure, even if just for a few seconds that we have done the right thing.

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**_Thanks for reading :)_**


	2. Chapter 2 (Age 1)

**_Thank you to Witbeyondmeasurexox for reviewing, here is the next chapter; a year on:_**

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The candles flicker as the singing begins; 'Happy Birthday To You' the voices cry out, 'Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday Dear James, Happy Birthday To You.' I stand by the side of the highchair, watching as Dan carries out the cake, rich, chocolately and heaven to taste. A smile finds its way onto my lips as I flashback to last night, remembering when Dan and I made the cake, messing around like in one of our youtube videos, whilst James soundly slept, tucked under his little blue blanket that my mum had knit him. I remember Dan sticking his fingers into the mixture whilst he thought I wasn't looking and shoving the leftovers into my face when we were done. The singing stops and Dan holds the cake close enough so that James can see it, but not too close that he could grab at the candles. James squeals with delight at the pretty lights, and I help him to blow the candles out, which is followed by a large round of applause from our family and friends. Dan places the cake on the side, and grabs his camera, another picture for the scrapbook. Soon enough, James is surrounded by cooing family and friends who are desperate to pick him up and soak up his little laugh and childhood smile. The room becomes very crowded and I feel Dan's hand snake around my waist as he pulls me to the kitchen, the cake in his other hand. Once we reach the kitchen, he puts the cake down on the side, before kissing me, causing me to lean into him even more. "Time to cut the cake." I say with a beaming smile once we break apart.

"Can you believe it?" Dan says "One whole year?"

"I know." I reply adding, "I love you" on the end.

"Are you sure it's not too soon for those words?" says Dan, feigning shock, his voice dripping with sarcasm before leaning in and kissing me again, this time deeper. Then, I feel his warm breath against my ear as he whispers "me too, more than words can say." and I kiss him quickly on the cheek before reaching for the cool blade of the knife and cutting the cake into equal pieces, feeling Dan's eyes watching me, love burning bright in his irises.


	3. Chapter 3 (Age 2)

**_Thank you very much witbeyondmeasurexox and vogonsoup for reviewing :)_**

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**_Dans POV:_**

The day is clear apart from a little biting wind, which lets face it, for england, is practically summer. I walk along, crouched over slightly, my hand in James' as we walk excruciatingly slow, but it is worth it. Worth it to see his little smile as he plods along. I am surprised he can walk at all, the amount of layers I dressed him in, I guess you could call me and overprotective parent. I look down at him, all bundled up in his scarf, hat and orange duffel coat and I can't help but smile. As we walk along, I talk to him, at first it was weird to talk to a little baby, like I was partaking in some kind of monologue on stage or something, but I am used to it now. I talk about nothing and everything, about lions and llamas, and youtube and flowers. It is important to talk to young children. As I am talking about youtube, I flash back to vidcon, which we had taken James to this year. He was the sparkle in the room, endlessly adored by everyone who attended; his joint godfathers, Chris and PJ, his godmother, Bryony, Cat, Jack, Finn, the whole lot. I smile as the memories come flooding back, Jack bouncing him up and down on his knee, Carrie singing songs to him, Cat helping him to build a tower, his first steps round the hotel room. We were hesitant at first whether to hide James away, but we decided he was just too big a part of our lives to hide him from the internet forever, and we would miss him too much whilst we were away. Plus he's had a more exciting toddlerhood than most people in their fourties.

Finally, we reach the park and I see James' little face light up with glee as he begins to toddle towards the swings with a sudden burst of energy, I have to rush to catch up with him. I reach him from behind, whisking him up and into my arms, "Not so fast." I say tapping his nose with my finger and he giggles delightedly. We reach the swings and I place him inside, making sure he is fully secure, before pushing him slightly. The park is completely empty as it is a school day and so it's just me and James as I fuss over him, "higher?" I say "does James want to go higher? higher?" "hi-a" I hear and I stop pushing, my heart stopping for a second as I rush round to the front side of the swing. "hi-a" I hear him reply, I start laughing with joy, his first word, his first ever word. I pick him up and swirl him round pulling him in a giant hug "Did you say your first ever word? you said your first ever word." I coo. I place James back down in the swing before pulling my phone out of my pocket, excitement lighting up my face. The droning ringing sound seems to last an eternity before I hear the deep tones of Phil, "Hey" he says

"Phil" I practically squeal

"What is there something wrong?"

"Guess who just said his first words?"

"No way!"

"Yes"

"I can't believe I missed it!"

"Yeah I wish you were here, its just me jumping around the park in excitement, oh wait I see people, better stop now."

Phil laughs. "What did he say?" he said his voice eager with excitement

"Higher" I reply

"Trust us to have a child with a completely abnormal first word." he says "Not dada but higher." I laugh.

"Anyway I got to go, not really supposed to be on the phone, I love you, bye."

"Love you too" I say before hanging up and spinning round to look at James, a smile lighting up my face.


	4. Chapter 4 (Age 3)

_**Thank you to Vogonsoup and Witbeyondmeasurexox for reviewing. Sorry this is a little longer than usual, I couldn't help myself.**_

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_**Phil's POV**_

I kiss Dan on top of his silky brown mop of hair as he desperately attempts to squeeze James' foot into his tiny little shoes. He turns round, flashing me a smile, his eyes lighting up just as the foot finally slips in. "There. All done." says Dan, lifting James into his arms. "Time to go" I say ruffling James' auburn hair.

"Wait" Dan says, his voice layered with concern "he needs his coat."

"Dan" I say, placing my hand on his shoulder, "It is may and we are only walking from the car to louises' house."

"Yes, but he could get cold!" Dan protests and I laugh, Dan lives in fear of James getting a cold, or falling and scraping his knee, I swear, it's what keeps him up at night.

"Where we goin'" says James, his thumb stuck firmly in his mouth.

"We're going to Darcy's" says Dan, his voice slightly higher than usual.

"You remember Darcy, don't you?" I say, earning a slight nod from our son. Shoving my feet into my trainers, I prise the front door open, swinging the keys into my hand as I do so.

It isn't long until we pull up outside Louise's house. Her daughter, Darcy, is the same age as James, and she is one of the only friends we have with a child, and so we have been spending increasingly more time here. I knock on the door, and me and Dan stand on the doorstep for a while, James wriggling to be free until eventually Dan just puts him down, keeping an ever watching eye on him, like some kind of big brother. I am almost about to pick up the heavy brass knocker again when the door swings open, revealing Louise, looking rather flustered. "Sorry" she said "you know how it is." and she stood aside, welcoming us into her house.

Before Dan can catch him, James is off, running through the carpeted hall and into the living room, where Darcy is sat next to a giant pile of lego bricks. James' eyes light up in excitement and he more or less runs to sit down. "Sorry." I say, and noticing that James still has his shoes on, on Louise's cream carpet, I rush over, pulling him onto my lap, once again trying to prise the shoes off of his feet. It barely seems worth it to have put them on. James' starts to squirm, moaning in a high pitched voice about being taken away from the lego, but Dan steps in, pulling faces at him over my shoulder, making him giggle his adorable little laugh. Soon enough, the shoes are off and James can go back to his wonderland of lego. "Want a drink?" asks Louise and I nod, eager for a tea to warm my throat.

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"Okay, so my number's on the side, if you need to call and in any emergency we can be back in 5 minutes." says Louise. "Oh and make sure that Darcy cleans her teeth, and her special blanket is in the cupboard just outside from the bathroom." "Oh and-" Matt cut her off

"They've got it all." he says with a laugh "I'm sure it will all be fine." Matt and Louise are going out, leaving me and Dan as baby sitters. Currently they are late, Louise is fussing about, she doesn't like leaving Darcy and you can tell, the worry is written all over her face. "She's in good hands" I hear Dan say. "Come on" Matt says, opening the door and Louise walks out calling "bedtime no later than seven" over her shoulder as she leaves.

Me and Dan turn to each other and grin, him slipping his hand into mine as we round the corner, seeing James and Darcy curled up innocently on the sofa, right where we left them, their eyelids wavering as they begin to fall asleep. Dan turns to me, "Time for bed." he says, and the kids turn to look at him, their eyes big and bright.

We do the full routine, bath, pyjamas and teeth cleaning and by the end of it, me and Dan are almost as tired as the kids themselves. I am coming back from the kitchen with a cup of tea when I hear words wafting from the kids room, I walk in to see Dan, a book clutched in his hands as he reads, his voice animated, his accent different for every character. A smile spreads its way to my lips and I watch him from the doorway, the tea warming my hands as his words warm my heart. He has finished the story, my tea is long since gone and the children are fast asleep by the time he notices me, a silhouette in the doorway. He blushes slightly and walks over to me, wrapping his arms around me, his smile alone making me happy. I lean in and kiss him as he shuts the door, my lips moving alongside his. I break off the kiss, smiling wider now. He laughs and links his hand into mine, "buffy?" he says, motioning to the living room door.

"You know me so well." I reply.

**Louise's POV**

It is much later than I said it would be and I feel guilty at leaving Dan and Phil for so long, we couldn't get away, every time we tried to leave, the couple get dragging us back into conversation like a fish on a rod. The moon is shining bright in the sky by the time we escape, my cold hands fumbling with the car keys as we drive off, back home.

As I enter the house I call out softly "Dan? Phil?" but the house is dark apart from one strip of light coming from under the living room door, Softly I push the door open. The tv is still running in the background but Dan and Phil are fast asleep, Phil's arms wrapped around Dan's chest and his leg hooked over Dan's. I reach for the remote to turn the tv off, debating whether or not to wake them up. Matt walks in, a smile reaching his face when he spies them. "They can sleep here for tonight, I guess then." he says with a laugh and we close the door, letting the soft sounds of sleeping be the only thing that fills the room.

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**_Thank you for reading and please please please review, it means a lot! Also, if you have any suggestions or ideas for any further chapters or anything you especially want me to write (in this story or otherwise) please just say! :)_**


	5. Chapter 5 (Age 4)

_**Sorry it's been a while but I typed this whole chapter up and then lost it and didn't have the motivation to write it up all over again till now. Thank you to witbeyondmeasurexox, vogonsoup, uhnonniemiss and TheAmazingInternetFangirl for reviewing. Here we go;**_

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_**Chapter Five**_

Phil's POV

I see James' bottom lip start to tremble in the rearview mirror as I pull up. He is scared and, who can blame him? He's been living in his own little perfect bubble for so long, but now all that is about to change; It's time for school.

I glance round nervously to see him anxiously wrapping his hands in his oversized, red jumper, his regulation black school bag perched at his tiny little feet. His big eyes look up at me, glistening with an overwhelming fear. All I want to do is wrap my arms round him and cuddle him, tell him it's alright, that he doesn't have to do this, not today, not ever if he doesn't want to. But of course I can't do that. He still seems too small to go to school, his uniform dwarfs him, making him look more fragile than ever and his face is still round with the innocence of childhood. I slip my hand into Dan's, trying to gain some strength from him, causing him to look up at me and smile. "Right, time to go!" he says, in his best I'm-trying-to-be-cheerful-even-though-I-don't-like-this-either voice, but James is still staring out the window at the seemingly sinister building looming ahead.

Dan opens the door of the rusty, red ford and slams it shut behind him, wincing as the metal crashes together. Then, running his hand through his deep chocolate hair like he always does when he's nervous, he walks round to James' side of the car. Standing up straight and with his face as serious as it will ever be, he opens the door, simultaneously announcing "After you, your highness." rising a giggle out of James. It works for about a second, and James' fear seems to melt away but then it returns, growing larger in his eyes. Dan sighs and says "come here." before lifting him up, a giant genuine smile written all over his face. "I guess I'm carrying the bag then?" I sigh  
"Of course, that's what you're here for," Dan replies "Our own personal packhorse, right James?" James nodded,  
"Yes! Come along, horsey!" I neigh and canter about, whipping my hair about like a mane. I ignore the stares from the normal, boring people, all I hear is the sound of joyous laughter escaping the lips of the two boys I love most in the world.

As we wind up the everlasting hill, I make faces to James, and he laughs, his head peeking out, over Dan's black clad shoulder. Soon enough we reach the aggressively cherry red door that leads to the classroom. Standing by the door is a young woman with belligerently blond hair and a smile so wide she could fit a coat hanger in her mouth. Upon seeing James' her smile gets wider somehow and she bends down, opening her arms like she expects a welcoming hug, but James' won't hug her, he clings to Dan's torso like a monkey. Dan tries to convince him to go inside, but he won't and I can see tears threatening to spill out of his big brown eyes. Leaning in, I whisper "Be brave like a lion." and as he turns his head to look at me, I put my fingers up like claws and mouth the word "Roar" to him. He drops from Dan's arms and I pull both him and Dan in for a big hug, ruffling his scruffy blond hair. He is turning to go when I pull him back, putting my finger to my lips and unzipping his bag before dropping Lion inside. His eyes widen and he nods in agreement, putting his own chubby little finger to his lips. Then, he turns and runs, wobbling like a baby penguin, bypassing the golden teacher as he runs straight into the classroom, pausing only once to turn round and wave his little baby fingers at us one more time.

I smile and, turning to look at Dan, I see he has tears glistening in his eyes. "Are you crying?" I say, laughing slightly.  
"Shut up!" he says, as he pushes me, causing me to stumble across the pavement almost knocking over an angry looking business woman. "You are!" I say before wrapping my arms around his shoulders, "I love you" I say, before joining our lips in a kiss every bit as sweet as our first. I don't think I will ever tire of kissing Dan.

An angry cough from behind us causes us to split and I turn round, blushing slightly. "Do you have a problem?" I hear Dan say as I feel myself internally groan. "I don't think that is appropriate here." says the man, boldly looking into Dan's eyes.  
"Why because I'm gay?" says Dan as everyone surrounding us throws their eyes to the ground and shuffles awkwardly.  
"Yes, actually. It's not a good message for the children." retorts the man and I have to pull Dan away, flames of anger rising in his eyes as I struggle to push him. "Phil, let go!" he shouts.  
"Dan, this is a primary school!" I remind him, "Be the bigger person." and he stops struggling slightly and allows me to lead him back down the hill towards our tarnished car.

He climbs back into the car, anger seething in his stomach. "I hate him." he spits  
"I know."  
"How dare he, in this day and age?" He rants.  
"I know Dan, but there are always going to be people like that and there's no point getting worked up over it. We know he's wrong and that's all that matters." I do my best to console him.  
"I just don't want our son to grow up in a world where those sort of ideas are still deemed acceptable!" he says.  
"I know, I know" I say, slipping my hand into Dan's. He turns to me, and his face relaxes slightly.  
"I love you." he says.  
"Me too." I reply, stroking my finger along his wedding ring.

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_**Thank you for reading and please review! P.S do you prefer longer chapters like this or shorter ones?**_


	6. Chapter 6 (Age 5)

_**Thank you to uhnonniemiss and witbeyondmeasureXOX for your kind reviews and help!**_

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_**Chapter Six**_

Phils POV

I wait outside the building, stood awkwardly with my hands in my pockets, glancing steadily around. Every so often, I catch the eyes of a fellow parent and have to force a smile before hurridly swinging my eyes away. I don't know any of the parents here, really. I guess they're not really my kind of people, they frown upon the age of me and Dan a bit, and our lack of a 'proper' profession. I see them all forming circles, giggling together and discussing class and things and I feel like I am back at school again, and I am still the kid in the corner with no friends. Except this time I'm not changing myself to fit in, I learnt that lesson a long time ago.

When I finally hear the ring of the bell, it's like music to my ears and the anxiety that had begun to build in my chest melts away. I glance eagerly towards the door, waiting for James' to burst out.

The door swings open and kids pour out like a wave of water trapped behind a door. I search the faces until I see James. My smile fades; he is crying. I begin to walk forward as he topples towards me, tears streaming down his plump cheeks. I reach him and pick him up, rocking him like I did when he was a baby. He buries his head in my shoulder, "What's wrong?" I ask, which only causes another cascading waterfall of tears.

The playground has cleared by the time the tears dry. I carry James over to tiny little wooden bench propped up against the brick wall and prop him onto my knee. "What's going on, my brave little lion man?" I say and he looks up at me, bright blue eyes brimming with tears that threaten to spill over. "Everyone hates me." he says, his bottom lip trembling.  
"Aww, buddy, no they don't!" I say, wrapping my arms around his shaking shoulders.  
"Yes they do!" he cries out admantly "they're so mean to me, all the time." I pull my head back from James'  
"Mean?"  
"Yes"  
"Well, what do they say?"  
"They call me gay and then they push me over and hit me." he says, and I hear a soft gasp of shock escape from my lips.  
"They call you _gay_?" I say and he nods.  
"Do you know what that means?" I say as I look deep into his eyes. He shakes his head.  
"It just means two boys or two girls that love it each other very much." I say and James' face becomes clouded with confusion. "Then why do they say it so meanly?" he says and, not wanting to explain the whole issue of homophobia to a five year old child, I simply say "I have no idea."

"Did you say they pushed you?" I ask  
"Yes." James says, his voice still trembling from the fit of tears. He begins to roll up his dull, grey, school trousers to reveal a bleeding gash on his right knee. I pull James back into my chest, feeling tears begin to crawl up my own throat. It disgusts me that kids would be so mean, but it also saddens me, it feels like it is my fault, if James didn't have me and Dan as parents he wouldn't have blood dripping from his knee right now.

"I'll sort it." I say, in my daddy-can-sort-anything voice, "but first, lets get you home." I say, lifting him into my arms and allowing him to nuzzle into my neck even though he is getting a little big for it now.

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I fumble with the keys in the door before pushing the door open and yelling out, "I'm home!". I hear an echo of "I'll be right down!" coming from above. I am carrying James' school bag in one hand, my phone and keys in the other, leaving James clinging to my neck like some sort of little baby monkey. I am trying not to let my emotions take over for the sake of James but my eyes are starting to grow moist again. "Hop-la" I say as I lift James onto the table, placing my keys and phone with him and dumping the backpack onto the floor.

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I switch the light on in the kitchen before rummaging through the draws in an attempt to find a plaster. "Hey" says Dan, kissing me on the cheek. "What are you doing?"  
"Trying to find a plaster." I say, trying to keep as collected as possible. Dan opens the cupboard just to the left of my head, revealing a first aid kit and a packet of plasters. He hands them to me and then pulls me in a for a hug. Tears spill out of my eyes as he strokes my hair. "What's wrong?" he says, his voice soothing and as smooth as silk.  
"James is being bullied. Some kids are pushing him round and calling him gay." I say.  
"What?!" Dan practically shouts "For fucks sake, what is wrong with some people?"  
"Sssh.." I say "Keep your voice down."  
"Where is he?" he asks and I point to the dining room. He takes the plasters in one hand and links his other with mine, pulling me into the room. "Hey little guy" Dan says, a smile on his face, "are you okay?" James nods weakly, the tear stains and puffy red eyes the only evidence of what happened. "Don't listen to them, you're far better than any of them." he says, as he puts the plaster on James' knee "and if they ever do it ever again, they'll have me to answer to" he says, standing straight up and looking vaguely into the distance like some kind of superhero. "Daaan.." I say, but James giggles. It appears to have cheered him up.

"Now what do you want to do, little man?" Dan says, picking James up and spinning him round before placing him back onto the wooden floor. James looks like he's thinking for a second before his eyes light up and he annouces "Film time" and I laugh, "Sure." I say, all my anxiety and sadness obliterated by his tiny little laugh. Dan gathers the duvets and pillows off of all of our beds and piles them on a big pile on the floor, along with the sofa cushions and some extra blankets. James picks out 'Toy story 2' (his favourite film of the moment) and we all snuggle under the blankets, James pressed between me and Dan. As the warmth of the duvet surrounds me, I watch Dan's half, quirky smile as the film plays on and I realise that no matter how bad the oppresors and homophobes get, we'll always have each other; and that's all we really need.

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_**Thank you for reading and please review!**_

_**p.s sorry for the ending, I couldn't think how else to end it.**_


	7. Chapter 7 (Age 6)

_**This chapter is based on a prompt from uhnonniemiss, and her idea is too cute to not write :) Thank you to Uhnonniemiss, DudeitsDessi, vogonsoup, witbeyondmeasureXOX and guest for reviewing, it means a lot to me that you like it! Also thank you for suppourting it, here we go;**_

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**Chapter Seven (Age Six)**

Dans POV

The alarm sounds beside me, piercing through my dream, shattering it to pieces. I groan, squinting my eyes so that I can see the time; seven o'clock. It's my turn to take James to school. I slowly try and sit up, so as not to make phil stir, but thankfully he is so fast asleep that not even a terradactyl raging the streets of London could wake him right now. You'd think I'd be used to getting up at this time; this is James' third year of school now, but the fact is old habits die hard and my brain is screaming with exhaustion.

I free myself from the maze of covers, standing up and stretching. I wave my hands in the air in the shape of a yawn, like I am some sort of caveman trying to catch a bird single handedly. I kiss Phil on the cheek softly before making my way to James' room, rubbing my eyes with the flat of my palms.

I open the door and switch the light on, the illumination burning my eyes like I am a vampire who has just been exposed to garlic. As I stumble round James' bedroom in the haze of early morning tiredness, I hear him awaken, his mumbling sounds of the morning accomponied by the odd sniffle of his nose. "I don't feel well" I hear him splutter, choking the end out with a sneeze. I sit down on his bed, my eyes now fully open. "Aww what's wrong?" I say, immediately pressing my hand against his forehead in full on parental mode. His skin is burning hot and feverishly clammy. I immediately start to panick. That's the problem with my mind, anything concerning James makes me overly anxious, I have an overwhelming fear of something happening to him. "I have a headache, and my tummy hurts" James says, looking up at me, his big blue eyes filled with self-pity and a slight edge of pain. I can't take it; my heart melts. I pull him into my chest, cradling him and kissing the top of his head. "Let me get Daddy" I whisper "He'll know what to do."

I feel an edge of guilt creeping up my throat as I rock Phil's shoulders, his black mop of hair stuck up at all ends as his eyes flutter open, his arms clutched against his chest as he returns from his dream world. "Wh-what" he says, his voice scratchy. "James is ill" I say, trying to conceal my anxiety, knowing full well that Phil finds it funny when I get over protective of James. "The medicine's in the top cupboard" he says before closing his eyes and pulling his knees closer to his body.  
"But what if that doesn't work?" I say, my voice edging closer and closer to high pitch.  
"Dan." Phil rolls over to look at me "It'll just be a cold, there's some calpol in the top cupboard."  
"How much?" I say but Phil has already moved,  
"Okay, I'm up." he says, "You are such a worrier, Dan" but he kisses me on the cheek anyway before sauntering out of the room.

"Okay, here we go." Phil says "This will make you feel much better."  
"What is it?" James asks, his voice laced with both curiousity and a hint of fear.  
"It's a magic potion" Phil says, "It fights away all the bad guys in your stomach"  
"Will it hurt?"  
"No, not at all. Now, open wide." he says, making the spoon zoom around like an airplane fit for landing. James opens his mouth wide and the airplane lands. James takes a big gulp and screws up his face, sticking his tongue out of his mouth in disgust "That is the horribelest thing I have ever tasted." he says and I laugh.

I tuck James back into bed and urge him to get to sleep. Phil sneakily took his DS from the side of his bed, so that he might get some sleep without obsessively playing pokemon. It's too late to go back to bed now and so, whilst Phil dissapears to ring up the school, I go down to the kitchen, intent on cooking some breakfast.

I open the fridge to see it almost bear, the shelves looking naked in the pale light. I have no idea where the majority of our food goes all the time, but we never ever seem to have any. I decide to get creative with the food we do have. I spy a few golden eggs to my right, and some final dregs in the bottom of the milk carton. My mind brightens; pancakes. I lean down to the bottom cupboard to check we have flour and sugar, and upon seeing them my smile gets brighter.

The batter is already halfway to being ready by the time Phil walks in, drowsidly running his hand through his hair. He stops dead. "Are you making pancakes?" he says and I smile. "Now I get why I married you!" he says in a tone of realisation.  
"Yeah, marry for pancakes, it's far better than marrying for love." I say, abandoning the mixture and slipping my arms around his waist. "Maybe there is a little bit of love." he says, looking up into my eyes, "Or a lot a bit." he adds, before joining his lips to mine, moving his hands up into my hair. I deepen the kiss, pushing him against the opposite kitchen counter, my heart hammering in my chest. "Daddy?" I hear a small voice say from behind me and I spring apart from Phil, almost knocking my head on an open cupboard door. I feel Phil blush besides me. "You should be in bed, mister." I say, walking over and tapping him on the nose. "I know, I'm hungry" he says, glancing towards the kitchen counter, where Phil was now continuing to whisk the pancake batter. His eyes light up, "Are you making pancakes?" he says eagerly, the ending of the sentence complete with a sniff and I notice his eyes are watering. "Yes, buddy, go back to bed and I'll bring you some," I say, lifting him into my arms, "Now, how does that sound?"  
"I don't want to go back there, I'm lonely" he splutters as I hear his tummy rumble.  
"Wait here" I say, putting him down. He toddles over to Phil, dragging a chair up and climbing onto it so that he can see the mixture.

I drag the heavy quilt off of James' bed and roll it up in my arms, tucking it under my arm and returning to the kitchen. As I enter the kitchen, I pick James up with the other arm, to his greatest delight, and set his bed up on the sofa, tucking him in all the way up to his little, elfin ears. I hear the pancake batter beginning to sizzle.

I rise to leave but James clings onto my arm, "don't leave me" he says.  
"I'll just be right there." I say, pointing towards where Phil is.  
"Will you read to me?" he says, his eyes watery and puffy. I can't resist.  
"Sure." I say with a smile, "What do you wanna read?"  
"Why don't you start Harry Potter?" I hear Phil shout from the kitchen "I think he's old enough for the first one."  
"What's Harry Potter?" I hear James say in his small voice.  
"Oh my, have you got a lot to look forward to." I say, a glint of glee in my voice.

I scramble around of the bookshelf for my copy of Harry potter and when I get back, Phil is sat in my spot, a stack of pancakes and three plates on the table in front of him. "Scoot" I say to him and he budges out of my place. I open the page as James tucks into to his pancake. After a while, we sink into the magic of the story, Phil reading the text and me doing the voices of the character, making James giggle with delight.

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_**Thank you for reading and please review! Also, if you have any ideas or prompts or anything please tell me!**_


	8. Chapter 8 (Age 7)

_**Yes I am sorry that it has been so long but my laptop broke last week sometime and so I haven't been able to write. Infact I am writing off of my iPod right now because the computer isn't going to be fixed until at least next week and I didn't want to wait any longer, so I'm sorry if this is short and badly edited but I really hate writing off of my iPod plus I will probably go through and edit it better when the computer gets fixed. Thanks to witbeyondmeasurexox, vogonsoup and uhnonniemiss for reviewing. And thanks to smoshfan1231994 for pointing out my mistake- I owe you one. Anyway here goes;**_

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

I shift in my seat as the lights begin to dim around me, Dan's hand clutched firmly in mine as the soft chattering falls to silence. The play begins.

My palms are sweating and my heart is racing. Even the usual disapproving stares can't distract me from my overwhelming anxiety. It is the first time James has ever starred in a play, in any role, never mind as the lead role. Dan gives my hand a re-assuring squeeze as James walks out onto the stage, his knees trembling just a little. I feel the strings of my heart pull as I see the edge of fear well in his eyes, it's all I can do not to run on stage and wrap him up in a giant hug.

But, the fear melts away as soon as he opens his mouth, words flowing out, so well delivered that even I, for a second, forget that it is my own son and truly believe it is the angry tyrant he is portraying. I blame Dan for this, this acting ability. He was all into acting when he was younger and I suppose James just picked it up off him somehow.

* * *

Soon enough, the play is in full swing and I ease up, my muscles unclenching and my jaw loosening slightly. I catch Dan's eye and he smiles at me, his deep brown irises beaming with pride.

I can't help but notice that James' costar also seems to have a certain talent, the two of them shine out like a torch from the rest of the group. Her face looks familiar to me and I search through the rubble of my mind, trying to pick out her name. And then it comes to me, her name is Lia. I remember James talking about her, saying that she had come over to him when everyone else was bullying him and made him feel okay. I also remember seeing her parents, pretty much the only people who could bear to speak to us, a communication mostly in sighs and eyerolls.

* * *

All too soon the play is over, and applause fills the room, bouncing off the walls and into the eardrums of the students who proudly take their bows. James' face is filled with pride and happiness as he soaks up the applause. Beside me I hear Dan whooing, his hands cupped around his mouth to make it ever louder, oblivious to the stares. I clap along to the music as the children take their final bows and make their way down the aisle and out of the doors at the back.

As James passes our seats he looks and smiles, a gappy smile with two black holes where his front teeth used to be.

I make my way round to the pick-up point, hand in hand with Dan. I catch a glimpse of James through the darkening night and before I can even shout a word of congratulations; he is running. He sprints towards us, arms outstretched and practically jumps into Dan's arms. "You were so good little monster!" I shout, ruffling his hair, a smile lighting up my face. "You really think so?!" He beams and Dan says "It was only the best performance since Leo in Titanic" and even though all meaning is lost upon little James, it doesn't stop him from grinning.

Dan places James down and slips his hand into James' little fingers, James using his other hand to join us up in a line. We walk along, using our arms to occasionally lift James up, letting him swing before his feet hit the concrete once more.

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_**Thank you for reading and please review. Also if you are interested Lia is a character from my friend uhnonniemiss's freaking adorable fanfics "my love" and "buttercup" and I hope shes okay with this since I didn't exactly ask her but whatever.**_


	9. Chapter 9 (Age 8)

_**I finally got my laptop back yay! Thanks to uhnonniemiss, vogonsoup and witbeyondmeasurexox for reviewing, you're all so nice.**_

* * *

_**Chapter Nine**_

_**Dans POV**_

"So we're doing this?" I hear Phil ask, a warm mug of tea clutched in his hands as he looks at me, his eyes dark and serious.  
"Yes, I mean, she doesn't want the baby and she seems set against abortion. Plus, then we'd be becoming more and more like a traditional little family." I say, hearing my own voice light up. "Like a traditional little family with two dads, Dan." Phil reminds me, the familiar little chuckle returning to his voice.  
"Potato, Potarto." I drawl, smiling wide as I grab Phil's spare hand, stroking my thumb along his finger.  
"So, now we just have to tell James." Phil said, his eyes meeting mine.

* * *

I hear the familiar sound of knocking on the door, the three sharp bangs that symbolise James' return. I look over to the wooden clock, the hands ticking round, 3:30; right on time. I smile to myself, the idea of a structure, of a routine, of a little family life warms my heart. "Hey Buddy." I say as James walks through the door, bright eyed and bushy tailed, his backpack peeking out over his shoulder. Ah, the days before algebra and simultaneous equations where school could actually bring a smile to ones face. "How was school?" I say, closing the lid of my laptop and smiling. James launches into the story of his day and I listen as he shrugs the bag off of his shoulder and onto the floor. I watch it hit the tiles and think about how much Phil hates it when James doesn't hang his bag up properly, but I don't have the heart to tell him.

"Do you want a snack?" I ask as James climbs onto one of the wooden chairs perched around the table and he nods, his big eyes glistening. Sometimes I worry that he is growing up too fast, letting him walk home from school was a big step for me; it took Phil weeks to convince me that he wouldn't get mugged, even if the school is just round the corner. Sometimes I get so lost in my own little worrying world that I forget that James is a person too, and that he needs chances to be free, to screw up along the way.

* * *

I return from the kitchen, a carton of orange juice in one hand and a cookie in the other. I see him smile when he sees the cookie, another thing Phil doesn't exactly advise. I put a finger to my lips as I set it down on the table and he nods silently.

"Where's Daddy?" James says, his mouth full of crumbs.  
"He's at the shop, sweetie, he'll be back any minute." James takes this as a hint, eating his cookie just that little bit faster. "And, buddy, when daddy returns, we have something very important to tell you."  
"What is it?" he says, staring up at me as he washes the last of his cookie down with some orange juice.  
"I can't say just yet." I say and James looks slightly worried.

* * *

It is at that moment, that I hear the familiar jangling of keys in the door as Phil finally turns the lock, pushing the door open with his shoulder seen as his hands are laden with bags. James jumps up and runs to hug him, hitting him in the stomach with his head. "Hey, buddy, how are you?"  
"Great!" he says "What did you buy?" he says, peering into the bags, inquistively. I capture him from behind, whisking him up.  
"Now, who's being a little nosy man?" I say as he laughs and clings onto my shoulder. I lean down and kiss Phil, sweetly once on the lips as James squirms to be free in my arms.

I let him go and he grabs one of the bags out of Phil's fingertips, laying it out onto the table, all thought about our conversation forgotten. I join my hand up with Phil's. "Is it time?" I say and he gives me a look that answers yes. "James, sweetie." he says, ruffling his blonde curly hair with his spare hand, "me and daddy have something to talk to you about in the living room." James looks up, his eyes wide. "Am I in trouble?" he asks, the smile falling from his face like a ball off the edge of the cliff. "No, no sweetie" I answer. "This is a good thing, you'll see." James follows me and Phil into the living room.

_**Phils POV**_

Dan's hand is warm in mine as we sit on the sofa, James perched in between us. He squeezes my hand, passing me confidence through this bond that we share. "You're going to have a new little brother." I blurt out, unable to hold it in any more, a half nervous-half excited smile breaking its way onto my lips. James gasps, his eyes moving down to my stomach as they widen. "Are you, are you, pregnant?" he asks, his voice rising an octave at the end of the sentence. Me and Dan burst out laughing, Dan breaking our hands to cover up his face, but James still looks confused. I quell the laughter crawling up my throat and turn to James, my voice still with the edge of a giggle. "Aww, no sweetie, men don't get pregnant. We're going to adopt him like we did with you, remember?" James expression cleared as understanding struck. We had always been honest with James, we didn't want any awkward conversations when he reached his angsty teenage years. "So, I get a little brother?" James asks and Dan nods, hoisting him up onto his knee as he moves closer, wrapping his arms around my shoulder. "What's his name?"  
"Well we don't know yet, we were hoping you would help us decide."  
"For real?"  
"For real." Dan laughed in response.  
"So when does he get here?" James asked  
"It isn't for a fair few months yet." I say "He's still in his mummy's tummy."  
"Do we know his mummy?"  
"A friend of a friend." Dan said  
"A friend of a friend." James repeated.  
"That's right." I said, unable to wipe the smile off of my face.

_**A few months later**_

_**Phils POV**_

James' hand clutches mine as we round the corner on the well scrubbed corridor. I can tell he is nervous, he didn't speak once on the car journey over, but also a little excited to see the baby he's been waiting for. As I turn the next corner, my eyes fall upon Dan, a tiny little bundle pressed in his arms, against his chest. James draws in closer to my chest, shying away behind my knees. Dan doesn't see us at first but soon enough, his head tilts upwards and he smiles. "Hey Buddy." he says, as James climbs onto the chair, wrapping his arm around him and letting him peer into the bundle of blankets. I sit down on the other side. "This is your little brother." I say, my voice barely above a whisper.  
"He's so tiny!" he says, his voice filled with wonderment. I laugh  
"Yes he is. But we were all that tiny once." I say.  
"Not me" says James "I was never that small."  
"Oh yeah?" says Dan, dragging his eyes away from the baby, a challenge glowing in his eyes. "I have pictures to prove it." he boasted and we all laugh, just one normal family in the corner of the hospital ward.

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_**So what do you think? Good twist? bad twist? Oh and if you have any ideas for baby names just leave them in the reviews and I shall pick the best one! Thank you for reading!**_


	10. Chapter 10 (Age 9)

_**Thank you so much to uhnonniemiss, witbeyondmeasurexox, vogonsoup and MisreadSoul, for your suggestions and comments; they really brighten up my day so thankyou for that. Special thanks to uhnonniemiss for helping me with the idea for this and witbeyondmeasurexox, whose name I have chosen (Samuel)!**_

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_**Chapter Ten**_

_**Dans POV**_

The phone rings in one room as the baby cries in another. I sigh dramatically. It seems like years since I got a decent nights sleep. I slowly push myself from my chair as I hear Phil shout "I got him!" from the other room. I pick up the phone, a pain splitting open my head. "Mr Lester?" came the uptight voice from the other end of the phone. I smile a little, it never fails to warm me from the inside, knowing that I am Phil's for all eternity. "Yeah?" I say.  
"We need you to come in." my brain shook itself awake.  
"Wait, who is this?"  
"Hollow Bank Primary School, you are James' father, aren't you?"  
"Yes, yes what's wrong?" I say all kinds of bizarre and horrible situations running through my mind.  
"The headmaster wants to talk to you about James behaviour."  
"What?" I say, a little shocked. "Right now?"  
"As soon as possible, is that a problem?"  
"Err no" I say as I hear Sammy start to wail in the other room.  
"Do you need both of us?" I ask.  
"Yes, I'm afraid so."  
"Okay, I'll see you soon."  
"Goodbye"

I put down the phone and walk, somewhat in a daze, into the living room. Phil is pacing back and forth. Sammy is clutched to his chest and a bottle dangles from his right hand. He looks flustered and the rings around his eyes resemble that of a giant panda. My heart strings tug a little, seeming him so worked up and I take Sammy from him, kissing him gently on his head. His big blue eyes fill with gratitude as he collapses back onto the sofa. I rock Sammy slowly and soon enough he stops crying long enough for him to take the bottle, his deep brown eyes staring up at me as a little black curl escapes from the top of his head. "So who was that on the phone?" Phil asks, running a hand through his deep black fringe which was starting to be dappled with little grey hairs.  
"School." I say, sitting down as Sammy begins to nuzzle into my chest and fall asleep. Phil sits up slightly.  
"What did they want?" he asks  
"They want us to go in and discuss James' behaviour."  
"What? What did he do?"  
"I don't know but we need to go now."  
"We can't go now, we have no one to take care of Sammy."  
"We'll just have to take him with us." Phil grimaced, a look of anxiety running over his face. He appeared to be running through all the things that could go wrong in his head.

We are standing by the door all packed up and ready to go, Sammy fast asleep in his little pram, his sweet little face leaning on his hand. And I remember when James was there, fast asleep in the exact same pram, his little hands and feet just as small. It strikes me like a lightning bolt, how fast time goes. Was that really nine years ago? Does time really go that fast? I start to feel a little shaky, and Phil seems to sense this as he joins his lips to mine, squeezing me reassuringly on the shoulder before breaking away.

We set off down the street, the wheels of the pram squeaking slightly as we go along. Every so often, I catch someone staring, their eyes wide and sometimes dissaproving before they quickly turn away. We don't get quite as many stares as we used to, but somehow people can't quite shake the 'classic' family from their mind.

_**Phils POV**_

My hand shakes slightly as I open the door into reception, I have no idea why, it's not like it's me whose in trouble. Immedietly the overpowering smell of flowers hit my nose and I reel slightly, the brightness and the sweet smell a little too much. I catch the receptionist staring at me and I try to throw her a smile; but it may already be too late. "Mr Lester." I say leaning on the desk as Dan tries to restle the pram through the door, "We're here to see the headmaster about our son, James?"  
"Ah yes" her eyes drift to the pram. "No prams in school, I'm afraid." Dan shoots her a look that seems to scream 'are you serious?'  
"What do you want me to do with it?" he says, his voice just a little too sharp.  
"You can leave it here if you want." she says, her voice a little condescending.  
"Yes, and what about the baby?"  
"Can't you carry him?"  
"He's asleep."  
"I am sorry, there's nothing I can do about that." she says, an edge of disgust leaking into her voice. I walk over to Dan, stroking his arm in an attempt to calm him down.  
"Look, you go ahead" I say, egging Dan on with my eyes, "I'll catch you up in a minute."  
Dan mutters something under his breath before following the clip-clappety sounds of the receptionists heels out of the room.

_**Dans POV**_

I feel like I'm back at school again, sat outside the headmasters office, nervously tapping my feet against the carpet. Out of pure instinct, I jump and sit up straight when I hear the door bang open. In walks a teary-eyed and slightly shaky James. "I'm sorry," he said "I really didn't mean to do it." My heart wept a little itself, I cannot stand to see him like this. I pull him onto my lap,  
"It's okay sweetie, daddy's not mad, I'm sure whatever it is we can sort it out." James nodded and sniffeled slightly before linking his hand with my own. We wait there some longer.  
"Where's dad?" he says.  
"He's just sorting Sammy out, he'll be here any minute." I say, ruffling his hair. Right on cue, the door opens again and in walks Phil, a bag strapped across one shoulder and Sammy held in the other. "Here give me that." I say, shifting James off my lap slightly as I reach for the bag, laying it down at my feet. Sammy is awake now and Phil wedges his way onto the small sofa, pressed right up against James.

Phil bounces Sammy up and down on his knee and he begins to laugh, a big toothy tinkle of a laughter that even helps James to crack a smile. James taps Sam on the nose, "are you laughing? are you a little laughy man?" and even though we are here because James is in trouble, and even though we are sat in the most depressing corridor I have ever seen and even though we are both so tired, I smile, because this is my family and it may be a little odd and dysfunctional but what family isn't? And just seeing the little wide smiles play across everyone's faces is all I need to make me happy, that is until the door creaks open and "Mr and Mr Lester?" is called out in a voice that is deep and gruff.

He doesn't look like the kind of man who enjoys smiles, so I tuck mine away and take James' hand, squeezing it as we walk in. I don''t care what he's done, I will stand by my son no matter what.

I take a seat in the hard leather chair, seeing Phil do the same to my right. The headmaster (who has a name every bit as boring as the rest of him) sits down and rests his hand down on the desk top. "Do you know why you're here?" says the teacher, in a stern voice. James nods. "And why is that?"  
"Because I was fighting." James says and I raise my eyebrow slightly. The headmaster turned to look at Phil and then at me, his eyes darting as if he were watching some sort of tennis match. I think he expected us to say something. Sammy only gargled. "I do not tolerate fighting in my school. Now, you will have to come back after school tommorow for detention in the hall. Is that fair?"  
"Whoah, whoah hold up a minute" I say, not thinking before the words escape my lips, earning a surprised stare from Phil. "You didn't even hear why he was fighting."  
"There is no excuse for violence, Mr Lester." I ignore him.  
"Why were you fighting, James?"  
"The other kid was calling me names."  
"See! There you go!"  
"Mr Lester, I do not appreciate your tone, plus you have no proof of that."  
"Look," I say raising my hand in a gesture "I am not saying that what James did wasn't wrong and I will discuss this with him when we get home, what I am saying is that maybe the other kid should at least get spoken to, you know?" Phil coughs.  
"What he _means _is that this isn't all James fault, we've dealt with bullying before and it never seems to be dealed with harshly enough in this school."  
"Are you saying I don't know how to discipline my students?" James sinks further into his chair as Phil's eyes widen slightly. He says  
"No, no not at all!" Just as Sammy starts to cry, and not the kind of cry that can be tamed, the sort of cry that a lion would make as it ate someone whole.  
"Umm excuse me," Phil says, shooting me a warning glance as his face sinks into relief.  
"Who was the boy who was bullying you, James?" The headmaster says, his voice verging on annoyed.  
"Michael" James stutters.  
"Okay, well we will talk to michael tommorow. Okay?" he says, shooting a pointed glance at me.  
"Yes, that would be good."  
"Thank you for your time." he says and I shake his hand before leaving.

I exit the room, shutting the door with a satisfying thud behind me. I lace my fingers with Phil's, quickly kissing him on the lips.  
"You've got to be more calm!"he says, laughing slightly as he puts sammy back into the pram.  
"He was accusing our son!" I say, but I am not really mad at Phil, I know what he means, James is certainly a pressure point for me.  
"Are you taking him home?" says sharp voice from behind us.  
"Who? James?" I hear Phil say  
"Noo Harry Potter." I say and he hits me lightly on the arm.  
"Err yeah." he replies to the dragon woman.  
"It's not the end of school yet." I put a solemn face on  
"Yes, but it has been a tough day you know, he's been through such an emotional ordeal and it's really hard for him. I don't think he could manage a few more hours."  
"Oh okay then, go on." said the woman in pink, her face softening "Just this once" and we leave the school, James walking backwards as he looks up at us and smiles, "you really are the best parents, you know that?"  
"We know" I reply as I turn to look at Phil, smiling.

* * *

_**Okay sorry that took a while but it is slightly longer (is this a good thing? bad thing? do you prefer that?) plus I have major exams in 4 weeks sooo... Thank you for reading and if you have any further ideas (I am beginning to run out) or suggestions or comments please review (Or you can review even if you don't!"**_


	11. Chapter 11 (Age 10)

_**Thank you to uhnonniemiss and witbeyondmeasurexox for your reviews and continued support. And yes this chapter is short because I haven't done that in ages and that was sort of the original idea and also because I have a lot of revision to do and I am dying of illness as I write this, hope you appreciate it, enjoy:**_

_**C**__**hapter 11**_

_**Dans POV**_

The wind shakes the tent and the hesistant sound of stretching guideropes can be heard through the pounding of the rain. The cool chill seeps through the thin fabric of the tent causing me to shiver. I pull my knees closer to my chest. Across the way from me, I see James. He too is shivering and a somewhat scared expression is written across his face. "Dad?" he says when he sees me looking,  
"Yes" I say, seeing my own breath rise in smoke as I speak.  
"Is the tent going to fall down?"  
"Nope it shouldn't do but you know, knowing your dads knowledge of basic mechanics I wouldn't be surprised."  
"Hey!" said Phil, pushing his arm slightly. "You could have helped!"  
"I was busy with the very important task of acquiring ice cream for my sons!" Phil rolled his eyes.

Eventually, I give into the harsh cold and climb into my sleeping bag- even if it is only 2 O'clock. That's british weather for you- you can always depend on it to be cold and damp- even in the height of august.  
"I'm bored." comes the call from James' side of the tent. "I knew I should have stayed at home." My heart sinks, he is growing up so fast, at some point he's just not going to want to be around us all together. Phil sees my face fall and jumps in.  
"Well we can't have that can we? Little man bored on holiday." James sighs at the mention of "little man" but looks up, expectantly, his head peeking out from the top of his sleeping bag. It is at that moment that Sammy decides to wake up and crawl from underneath the layers we wrapped him in. I search through my brain for something to do and it strikes me all of a sudden.  
"Now, did I ever tell you the story of how I got fired when I was a teenager?" James shook his head and I motioned for him to come closer. We all huddle in, James leaning into my arm as Sammy curls up on Phil's knee. Phil puts his arm around my waist and the story begins...

_**Thank you for reading and please review as it makes me happy! Also, if you have any improvements, one shot suggestions or ideas don't be afraid to tell me! Thank you :)**_


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